Stanton drives in two in Grapefruit League opener

Leadoff man Pierre goes 2-for-2 with a triple, two runs and an RBI

JUPITER, Fla. -- Giancarlo Stanton drove in two runs, Alfredo Silverio belted a solo home run, and the Marlins defeated the Cardinals, 8-3, on Saturday afternoon at Roger Dean Stadium.

David Freese homered for St. Louis.

In the Grapefruit League opener for both teams, the Marlins struck quickly off Trevor Rosenthal, scoring four runs in the first two innings.

Both starters worked two innings. Miami's John Maine, a non-roster invitee in the mix for the fifth-starter spot, gave up a home run to Freese and struck out one.

Rosenthal was tagged for four runs, five hits and he threw 45 pitches.

The Marlins used a three-hit first inning to score two runs off Rosenthal. Juan Pierre, after fouling off two bunt attempts, tripled to deep center field on a 2-and-2 pitch. Pierre scored on Stanton's RBI groundout to first. With two outs, Joe Mahoney doubled to right and scored on Donovan Solano's single.

St. Louis made it 2-1 in the second on Freese's home run to left.

Miami tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the inning. Pierre delivered a two-out, RBI push bunt that chipped over the head of a drawn-in Freese at third. Adeiny Hechavarria, who walked and stole second, scored. Stanton added an RBI single to make it 4-1.

Jeff Mathis' RBI single in the third inning padded Miami's lead to 5-1. But in the top of the fourth Mathis, who started at catcher, was removed after Matt Holliday walked. During the plate appearance, Mathis took a foul tip off his right collarbone.

In the fourth, St. Louis chipped back to 5-3 on Matt Adams' two-out, two-run single off Brad Hand, who walked four in the inning. Steve Cishek relieved Hand, and stranded the bases loaded.

Silverio, Miami's Rule 5 claim off the Dodgers' roster, belted a solo home run off Randy Choate in the fifth inning.

Marcell Ozuna and Zach Cox each had RBI singles to push the Marlins' lead to 8-3.

Up next Cardinals: Sold out in advance, the Red Sox will be at Roger Dean Stadium on Sunday to face the Cardinals at 12:05 p.m. CT, available on Gameday Audio. Lefty John Gast is getting the starting nod. Originally, Shelby Miller was scheduled to throw, but the right-hander is dealing with some right-shoulder soreness. The Red Sox are starting lefty Jon Lester.

Up next Marlins: They travel to Viera, Fla., to face the Nationals at 1:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, available on Gameday Audio. Henderson Alvarez, acquired from the Blue Jays in November, is making the start. Alvarez is competing for a middle-of-the-rotation spot. The right-hander will make two starts for Miami before heading to the World Baseball Classic to play for Venezuela. Washington is starting Jordan Zimmermann. Stanton will not be making the trip.

Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. He writes a blog, called The Fish Pond. Follow him on Twitter @JoeFrisaro. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.